Mandolins and peRfection
A method to make the mandolin “perfect”
In the Method for Mandolin, published by Gabriele Leone in 1768, one finds a curious sentence:
“Il forte desiderio di propagare quest’istrumentino e di renderlo perfetto mi à spronato d’inventare un metodo per facilitarne a chicchessia il possesso ,ed insensibilmente distruggere per mezo dei segni que’ difetti da se stesso, o da poco esperto Maestro cagionati.”
Which can be translated as:
“The strong desire to promote this little instrument and to render it perfect has prompted me to devise a method to make its mastery accessible to anyone, and gradually to eliminate, by means of written signs, those defects caused either by the player himself or by an inexperienced teacher.”
Evidently, the idea of making the mandolin “perfect” is a very ancient one!
Ancient Inventions and (re)discoveries
The shape of Mandolino PeRfetto’s bowl back is a modern interpretation of the bowls typical of classical mandolins. It was designed to make the instrument more comfortable to hold, while at the same time providing a body volume large enough to ensure a rich and well-projected sound.
In hindsight, we discovered that a similar shape had already been devised by Pasquale Vinaccia, a renowned Neapolitan luthier of the nineteenth century.
After all, the word invent comes from the Latin invenīre, meaning “to discover.” In short, we independently (re)discovered—many years later—a remarkably similar form!
Mandolino PeRfetto
Pasquale Vinaccia, Napoli, 1876
Photo courtesy of Fabio Tricomi
Alfred Woll, The Art of Mandolin Making (2021).